Photo-imprinter



y Dc. 5, 1967 H. R, MARloN 3,356,000

PHOTO-lr/IPRINTER Filed July l2, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 f4 Tram/Hf,

Dec. 5, 1967 H. R. MARION PHOTO I MPRINTER Filed July l2, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 lllllllllllllllllll Mmm/me. HUN TER R, MARION y /VF (7f3/L+ Ld zijn Dec. 5, 1967 H. R. MARION 3,356,000

PHOTO-IMPRINTER Filed July 12, 1965 3 sheets-sheet :s

HUNTER R. MARION yfj @KIM/@ Lf/LLW United States Patent 3,356,990 PHUTO-IMPRINTER Hunter R. Marion. 278 Saxer Ave., Springfield', Pa. 19064 Filed July 12, 1965, Ser. No. 471,183 3 Claims. (Ci. 9S-1.1)

This invention relates to the marking of photosensitive material or the like with identifying indicia, especially prior to development of a photographic image thereon. This is done, in a photo-imprinter specifically, by providing a supporting surface with a marking mask and cooperating indicia strips movable to present 4any of the various indicia thereon at the mask location, a platen normally spaced away from the surface at the mask location but mov-able thereto upon being actuated by placement of material to be marked on the supporting surface. Switchlike actuating means responsive to presence of the material to be marked is effective to press the platen against the surface and hold it in place while also effecting exposnre thereof to exposure means in the photo-imprimer.

There is la need, especially in commercial photography, for including identifying name or insignia, job or serial number, or other indicia on the resulting photographs for convenient reference by both photographer and customer.

A primary object of the present invention is photographic marking of photo-sensitive sheet material adapted to provide a photographic image thereon.

Another object is accomplishment of such marking in a manner readily adapted to use by commercial photographers or the like.

A further object is provision of dependable, easily operable, inexpensive photo-imprinter apparatus for effecting the above objects.

Other objects of this invention, together with means and methods for attaining the various objects, will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying diagrams of one apparatus embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a photo-imprinter of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan of the apparatus of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale and partly in section, of components of the apparatus of the preceding views, taken at III-III on FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan of the apparatus components of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional plan of the same apparatus, taken at V-V on FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a partly diagrammatic diagram of electrical components of the apparatus, showing their interconnection.

In general, the objects of the present invention are accomplished, in a photo-imprinter or analogous apparatus for marking photo-sensitive material-or the like, by means of a surface for supporting the material to be marked, at least one marking mask on the surface, a plurality of indicia-bearing strips extending along the surface to the mask location and movable thereacross to present any of the various indicia thereon at the mask location, a platen normally spaced away from the surface at the mask location but movable thereto upon being actuated, exposure means on the opposite side of the supporting surface for exposing the photographic material through the markingmask, and actuating means interconnected to the movable platen and to the exposure means and effective to actuate the platen to hold the material temporarily :against the surface at the mask location and to actuate the exposure means while the material is so held. Details of the apparatus features are illustrated and are described below.

FIG. 1 shows, in perspective, and FIG. 2 shows in top plan, photo-imprinter 11, which is generally box-like in appearance. Housing 12, with sidewalls and removable bottom, has cover 13 providing a top surface adapted to support sheet material to be marked (not shown). Upstanding angle bracket 16 at the left edge of the cover is adjustably screw-mounted and provides an edge guide for the sheet material to be marked. Visible on the front wall of the housing are knobs 14 and 16 for adjusting exposure time and light intensity, as indicated below, Iand toggle arm 17 for turning on and off lamps shown in subsequent views. Attached to the rear wall of housing 12 is smaller case 21. Screw-adjustable actuating switch button 19 protrudes from the case forward over the rear edge of the cover, and the front edge of the top of the case has notch 20 therein to accommodate the supporting switch arm and to act as a rear stop therefor when the button is depressed rearward. Pivotally supported on the protruding upper end of the armature of solenoid 24, which itself is located inside case 21 is yoke 26, whose unitary rear end 27 overlies the top surface of the case and whose bifurcated front end portions 28, 28 carry platen 29 overlying a rear marginal portion of the cover. Leaf spring 22 is anchored to the rear wall of the case and extends over the yoke to terminate under centered rear extension 30 of the platen, thereby normally holding the platen in an operative position, as shown, spaced from the surface of the cover. The platen may also be raised further to an inoperative rest position (not shown) for further exposure of the underlying portion of the cover. Beneath the platen the cover, which is generally opaque, includes marking mask portion 31, which is translucent, preferably substantially transparent.

Part of the marking mask location is overlain by a plurality of longitudinally slidable barlike strips 33, which lie side by side in recessed portion 32 extending from the front to the rear edge of cover 12. At the rear the ends of the strips pass into case 21, where they underlie and are concealed by the top surface of the case. Viewing mask 35 bridges the recessed portion of the cover and the strips therein at a location approximately midway between the front and rear edges, and cover portion 25 underlying window 36 in the viewing mask is translucent, particularly to light of a color considered safe for many otherwise photo-sensitive materials. The portion of the cover underlying the rear portion of the viewing mask is recessed or cut away to receive leaf spring 42 essentially flush therewith. The spring terminates at its rear end in a downturned tail fitting in a slotlike further recess in the cover and terminates at its front end in a plurality of forwardly extending leaflike lingers, one underlying each barlike strip, each finger having a pair of upwardly extending detents thereon.

The opacity of the cover everywhere except at the mask locations may be provided in any suitable manner, either by providing light-transmitting inserts in an otherwise opaque cover composition or, more conveniently, by providing an opaque coating (not separately shown) on most of one or both surfaces of a cover made of a clear composition. In the latter case a colored coating having suitable light-transmitting characteristics may be provided at the vewing mask location to furnish the desired safelight, or a specially colored bulb may be used therefor. Methyl methacrylate is an example of preferred synthetic plastic composition for the cover, but others are also suitable, and glass may be used if desired.

Not shown in the previous small-scale views but clearly visible in FIGS. 3 and 4, which show strips 33 and adjacent components on a considerably enlarged scale, are

numerical indicia 37 on the strips. On each strip these indicia constitute two sets of the ten single Arabic numerals plus a dot and a dash spaced longitudinally from one another. The distance between the respective numerals within each set and the distance between the respective sets rare such that when the numeral 2, for example, from one set is visible through the viewing mask the numeral 2 of the other set occupies the portion of the marking mask filled by that strip. The numerals are translucent, and the surrounding portion of the strip is opaque, so that light from the interior of the box will illuminate the identical numbers in any single strip at both mask locations. This is accomplished most conveniently by using a translucent composition for the strips, on which the numbers or other indicia are formed in relief (i.e., raised above the rest of the top surface of the strip), and coating the rest of the top surface of the strip with an opaque paint or the like. The rubbing of the numerals or other indicia on strips against the overlying viewing mask member keeps them clean, while the opaque portion of the strips is thereby protected from abrasion of its coating. Each strip has conical indentation 38 near its front edge for insertion of a pencil point or other pointed object to facilitate sliding the strips back and forth. Each strip is manip'ulatable independently of the others and has V-shaped notches 39 in its bottom surface into which fit individual detents 40 of leaf spring 42 located in the cut-away portion of cover 12 to facilitate registration of the numerals at the mask locations.

FlG. shows, in sectional plan and on the same scale as FIGS. 1 and '2, housing r11 sectioned away underneath the cover, and attached case 21 with one corner partly broken away and without the platen-supporting yoke previously shown. The interior elements are chiefly electrical in nature, and they and their interconnections are shown rather diagrammatically in FIG. 6. Lamp 41 underlies the location of marking mask portion 31 of the cover and constitutes the light source for exposing, through any mask :superimposed thereon and through the numerals pre- :sented by the indicia-bearing strips at that location, any overlying photosensitive material. Smaller lamp 45 constitutes a safe-light source underlying the location of viewing mask 35 to illuminate the strip numerals thereat. Power is supplied through plug 44 and its lead-in cord to the common terminals (COM) of 3-Way toggle switch 46, the center position of which is OFF. In one ON position (UP) of this double-pole, doublethrow (DPDT) switch, safe-light lamp 45 is energized, while in the other ON position (DOWN) it is not.

In both ON positions of toggle switch 46 the common terminals (COM) of DPDT solenoid 24 are supplied with line potential and, therefore, ready to pull the platen lshown toward the cover to hold interposed photo-sensitive material firmly while exposure lamp 41 is turned on. The duration of the holding and exposure is determined by the time constant of capacitor 50 and series resistor 52, which is in the form of a potentiometer mounted on the front wall of the housing. The light intensity is determined by the setting of rheostat 51. The solenoid and exposure light are actuated through relay 55, which is closed, to break the circuit of its normally closed (NC) terminals to the respective common (COM) terminals and connect its normally open (NO) terminals to common, by supply of the capacitor potential to relay coil 56 upon the depression of actuating switch 58, which is of single-pole, doublethrow (SPDT) type. When the actuating switch is not depressed the capacitor is charged by application of line potential thereto through rectifier 59 and series resistor 52 by way of the normally closed (NC) and common (COM) terminals of that switch.

Accordingly, the action of the apparatus of this invention is readily understood. When it is desired to mar-k a sheet of photo-sensitive material the sheet is placed, sensitive face down, onto the top surface of the cover and is slid along until it contacts the left guide and then ISafWard.- The rear edge ot' the sheet will contact the actuating switch button and move it to close the switch as the supporting arm of the switch contacts the rear edge of the notch in the top of the surrounding case. Then the solenoid armature pulls downward on the yoke supporting the platen, pressing the platen firmly against the back of the sheet over the marking mask location. The exposure light turns on and illuminates the sensitive part of the sheet at that marginal location, thereby forming thereon a latent image of the present translucent numerals and any other indica present at the mask location. The light turns off after the desired exposure time, and the solenoid releases the sheet, which then is removed and developed in the usual manner. The main image on the sheet, for which the present invention merely provides identifying marking, maybe exposed before or after the marking exposure. The safe-light for illuminating the numerals at the viewing mask location is used when the photo-sensitive material is not sensitive thereto', when the material is sensitive to the safe-light, it is turned off and the numerals are identified by touch, or by external light while the photo-sensitive material is out of reach of such external light.

This invention provides simple and dependable means and method for applying desired marking indicia to the margin of a photo-sensitive material preferably in sheet form. Despite the description and illustration of a single apparatus embodiment, it will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that modifications may be made therein while retaining all or most of the advantages of the invention. Additional marking mask locations and platens may be provided, of course, and any desired mask may be utilized at a marking mask location. Moreover, parts may be added, combined, or subdivided or changed in size, shape, or location without departing from this invention, which is defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In apparatus for marking photo-sensitive material or the like, a surface for supporting the material to be marked, at least one marking mask along a margin of the surface, a platen normally spaced away from the surface at the mask location but movable thereto upon being actuated, actuating means adjacent the margin of the surface and adapted to be energized by the arrival of an edge of the photographic material placed on the surface for marking, and exposure means on the opposite side of the supporting surface for exposing the photographic material through the marking mask, the actuating means being so interconnected thereto and effective upon arrival of the edge of the photographic material to actuate the platen to hold the material temporarily against the mask location and to actuate the exposure means while the material is so held.

2. In apparatus for marking photo-sensitive material or the like, a surface for supporting the material to be marked, at least one marking mask along a margin of the surface, a platen normally spaced away from the surface at the mask location but movable thereto upon being actuated, actuating switch means adjacent the margin of the surface and located to be contacted by an edge of the photographic material placed on the'surface for marking, and exposure means on the opposite side of the supporting surface for exposing the photographic material through the marking mask, the actuating switch means being so interconnected thereto and effective when contacted by the edge of the photographic material to actuate t-he platen to hold the material temporarily against the mask location and to actuate the exposure means while the material is so held.

3. In apparatus for marking photo-sensitive material or the like, a light-tight housing having a translucent marking mask location along the margin of a horizontal surface thereof adapted to support material to be marked, a light source inside the housing, a Vplaten normally spaced from the surface at the mask location-outside the housing but supported by the housing for movement to the sur- 5 6 face at that location, switch means supported by the hous- References Cited ing With a switch arm along the margin of the supporting UNITED STATES PATENTS surface, and an actuatlng c1rcu1t connected to the switch means and including a solenoid adapted when the switch 1159126 11/1915 StePl 1enS0n 95-1'1 means is closed to move the platen toward the housing 5 l?? nlkms gg surface at the mask location and hold overlying material 2827826 3/1958 Dulse 95-11 X to be marked against it temporarily, the light source also a e 1oeing connected into the actuating circuit and adapted FOREIGN PATENTS when the switch is closed to illuminate the mask location 441,083 10/1925 Germany.

and thereby exposure the material to be marked at that 10 location. JOHN M. HORAN, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN APPARATUS FOR MARKING PHOTO-SENSITIVE MATERIAL OR THE LIKE, A SURFACE FOR SUPPORTING THE MATERIAL TO BE MARKED, AT LEAST ONE MARKING MASK ALONG A MARGIN OF THE SURFACE, A PLATEN NORMALLY SPACED AWAY FROM THE SURFACE AT THE MASK LOCATION BUT MOVABLE THERETO UPON BEING ACTUATED, ACTUATING MEANS ADJACENT THE MARGIN OF THE SURFACE AND ADAPTED TO BE ENERGIZED BY THE ARRIVAL OF AN EDGE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIAL PLACED ON THE SURFACE FOR MARKING, AND EXPOSURE MEANS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE SUPPORTING SURFACE FOR EXPOSING THE PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIAL THROUGH THE MARKING MASK, THE ACTUATING MEANS BEING SO INTERCONNECTED THERETO AND EFFECTIVE UPON ARRIVAL OF THE EDGE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIAL TO ACTUATE THE PLATEN TO HOLD THE MATERIAL TEMPORARILY AGAINST THE MASK LOCATION AND TO ACTUATE THE EXPOSURE MEANS WHILE THE MATERIAL IS SO HELD. 